


Ask Me Not For Freedom

by Pleasedial123



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Adult Arcobaleno (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dubious Consent, Prying where you should not have pried, The Immortal Skull-sama, Truth Serum, eldritch horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:21:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29593419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pleasedial123/pseuds/Pleasedial123
Summary: The Curse has been broken, they are all adults again no longer trapped and bound. But Freedom was always just an illusion.They should never have asked questions they didn't know they didn't want the answers to.
Relationships: Reborn/Skull (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 122





	Ask Me Not For Freedom

The Arcobaleno were the strongest Flames in the world. Were some of the strongest fighters. They had powered the Tri-Ne-Set for far longer than the previous generation and were all bright burning stars in their own right. When the curse was broken, when they were released back into real bodies to be real people, they celebrated. How could they not? They were free now, weren’t they?

They never thought they had been trapped for far longer that the Curse. Never considered that they had never been free to begin with. 

.--.

The Arcobaleno liked to go out drinking when they met. Fighting ended up with broken bones and wounds and days lost to recovery. None of them had any big hobbies to draw in the others – except for Skull who tried so hard to make them come to stunt shows. And restaurants and dinner were fine, but they were all back in adult bodies, back to being real people, and all of them admired a good drink. So when ever they gathered together, as rare as it was, they went out drinking.

“God, its so nice to actually drink beer when I want to again!” Colonnello cheered, slamming back a pint. 

“I did miss wine,” Viper hummed. 

“You could have just drank it,” Reborn commented drinking some horrible coffee cocktail.

They all gave him very judgmental looks.

“I drank coffee in my cursed form and it never did anything bad,” Reborn pointed out, “And children shouldn’t drink coffee…I think. Anyways, no one tired to stop me.”

“We were far more worried about your caffeine withdrawal than what coffee would do to you,” Verde drawled.

“You would have destroyed Italy,” Lal said flatly.

“There were Families out there who had whole networks dedicated to making sure you got your coffee,” Viper said, “They paid me quite a bit to track your movements.”

“After what happened to the Velissa family,” Fon nodded.

There was a moment of silence. Reborn sipped loudly at his cocktail.

“I’m just glad I can reach the top shelf now,” Verde broke the silence.

“And opening doors is easy!” Colonnello laughed.

“I can carry more guns,” Lal said.

“I can hold more money,” Viper grinned. 

“No one tries to pick me up anymore,” Fon agreed.

“I did enjoy causing terror as a child, but it is nice to be taken seriously immediately,” Reborn said. 

They all clinked their glasses together and then paused.

“You’ve been awfully quiet Skull,” Colonnello blinked realizing what was missing from the scene.

Skull stared at them, eyes wide. Viper waved a tentacle in front of their face and got no reaction.

“Lackey,” Reborn smacked him on the back of the head.

“Reborn-senpai,” Skull slurred, blinking rapidly, “You’re so tall~”

“Is he already shitfaced?” Colonnello peered at him.

They all looked at their stuntman and noted that his skin was flushed, but his pupils were also blown wide and he had a slight tremor.

Every gaze at the table immediately turned to Verde who tried to sip his drink nonchalantly.

“What did you slip him?” Reborn asked. 

“Nothing,” Verde tried.

They stared him down.

“Just a new thing I’ve been working on,” Verde admitted with very little pressure, quite happy to discuss it now that it was out in the open, “I had hoped to spike all of you, but Skull is always the easiest target.”

“Lackey, you need to get better awareness,” Reborn smacked the man.

“Skull-sama was distracted by how pretty you are,” Skull cooed, trying to grab onto him.

Reborn kept him away with one hand on his forehead. Skull’s movements were slow and careful like he was a drunk trying not to stumble. 

“What is it?” Lal asked, “As far as I remember, Skull had a ridiculous alcohol tolerance.”

“Hmm,” Verde hummed, “Well you see I mixed together-”

“Short version,” multiple voices demanded before the scientist could go off.

“Its something that will affect him something between alcohol poisoning and truth serum.”

There was a long drawn-out moment of silence, the only noise was Skull’s low coo as he kept trying to reach for Reborn.

“I’m sorry,” Colonnello said digging a finger in his ear, “Did you just say truth serum?”

“A true one is impossible,” Verde declared, “But this one will make him chatty and happy to talk. Like being drunk in a way but will feel much more motivated to do something; I almost classified it as an aphrodisiac because it makes a person want to answer or obey.”

“Oh my god,” Viper whispered, “I could make so much money with that.”

“What are we asking first!” Colonnello cheered.

“Should we be taking advantage?” Fon asked, but it was curious not judgmental.

“Hell yeah!” Colonnello said.

“What do you even want to ask the Lackey?” Reborn asked, “What secrets could he have?”

They all paused.

“That’s a good point,” Colonnello slumped, “Hey Skull, how many secrets do you have?” 

“Hmm?” Skull paused his reach for Reborn and blinked at Colonnello as if in a daze, “Lots.”

They paused again.

“How many big secrets,” Lal tried.

“Lots.”

“How many secrets that are worth money?” Viper demanded.

Skull furrowed his brow.

“A couple?” he said sounding confused, “Like my bank account number is-”

“Okay so normal things count as secrets,” Lal cut him off, “Things you just don’t tell people.”

“Who do you like best here?” Reborn asked, smirking at Skull.

“Does that even need to be asked?” Fon smiled all of them knowing that answer.

“Reborn!” Skull said instantly and loudly, beaming at the man under everyone’s eye-rolls.

“And how much do you like me, Lackey?” Reborn sang-songed. 

“If you’re trying to confirm his crush on you, we all know it,” Viper huffed. 

“Skull-sama love you more than anything!” Skull said enthusiastically over the Mist, “Enough to do anything for you!”

“How sweet,” Reborn tittered, sipping at his drink.

He let Skull cling to his arm as a reward as everyone rolled their eyes at him. 

“You really need to stop teasing him,” Lal said.

“Are you concerned I’ll break little Skull’s poor heart?” Reborn smirked.

“Skull-sama doesn’t care if Reborn never returns his feeling,” Skull declared, words spilling out of his mouth almost in a hurry, “Skull-sama will love him forever.”

“Forever is a long time,” Reborn mocked.

“Forever and ever,” Skull said, rubbing his cheek against Reborn’s shoulder, “Even after your bones are dust and your soul is swallowed whole.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Well, that’s a little unsettling,” Colonnello laughed, “Won’t your bones be dust as well, Skull?”

“I am the great immortal Skull-sama!” Skull declared, eyes still happily glued to Reborn.

“Yes, yes, we’ve heard,” Reborn rolled his eyes, patting the stuntman’s head like a dog, “You’re going to have a bad day when that’s proven wrong.”

Skull cooed and nuzzled further into him.

“Well, any other big questions for him?” Colonnello asked, “That doesn’t have to do with his pathetic crush on Reborn?”

“It’s not pathetic,” Reborn mock gasped, “It is only natural to want me after all.”

Everyone rolled their eyes. 

“What will you do after this Skull?” Fon asked politely, “Go back to stunts?”

“Anything that will get Reborn’s attention!” Skull said.

“Okay maybe it’s a little pathetic,” Reborn said, “Lackey do you not have any plans?”

“Nope! Skull-sama make them up on the fly!” Skull beamed, eyes fever bright, “And his plan right now is to impress you!”

“The only way to impress me is to be strong,” Reborn said blandly.

Skull tilted his head, eyes wide and bright like a puppy.

“How does Skull-sama do that?” 

“Hmm. If you could kill someone at this table it might be enough,” he mocked.

Everyone chuckled.

“So if Skull-sama kills someone here, you’ll love him?” Skull asked.

Everyone paused for a moment to wrap their minds around how earnest Skull sounded.

“Sure,” Reborn said with a mean smirk, “The day you’re strong enough to kill someone here, I’ll go on a date with you.”

“Now you’re just being mean,” Colonnello said.

Skull stood up. 

“Now Skull,” Fon said pleasantly, “We’re here to drink, not hurt you.”

Skull blinked as if confused.

“But Reborn said he will love Skull-sama if he kills you.”

“It’s not worth your life Lackey,” Reborn said, “Though the attempt would be funny.”

“Skull-sama would kill all of you for a chance at Reborn’s love,” Skull declared.

“Good luck,” Lal snorted into her beer.

No one saw the next move but Colnello screamed as the steak knife that had been sitting next to Skull was suddenly buried in his shoulder. Fon spun to Skull and managed to stand before he was thrown out of his chair and clear through a wall. 

There was a moment of silence, an endless pause that seemed to stretch as Skull stood where Fon just had, smiling bright and happy, pupils blown wide. Then Lal was scrambling for her gun and tentacles erupted to life around Viper. Skull laughed, the sound cheery and high enough to cut through the slowly rising noise. Then he was slamming Verde’s face into the table and slamming a blade into the stock of Lal’s gun, the screech of metal grating. 

Reborn blinked once, twice. 

The restaurant was emptying quickly with the eruption of violence. People screamed and fled and over all the noise was Skull’s playful laughter. Reborn drew his gun and fired once, twice, thrice. Every shot missed and Reborn was left staring as he tried to comprehend the fact Skull had just dodged his bullet as he tried to cut Colonnello’s throat with the steak knife he had ripped form his shoulder.

“Lackey,” Reborn managed.

Lal was screaming something, gunfire raining down, and the world was twisting as Viper unfolded. Fon was back in the game, lunging with fists burning red as every instinct in all them kicked into overdrive. 

“Lackey!” Reborn yelled, lunging into the fray.

It was a blur. They were all fast, all stupidly strong, all the very fucking best of the world. And it was taking all of them to hold off the purple blur that was aiming for every vital point he could. Reborn tried to grab Skull, tried to pin him down, but every blow was reflected into one of the others and Reborn was forced to step back. Not a single attack was aimed at him but Skull was definitely keeping him out of the fight.

“SKULL!” Reborn roared as he saw the tipping point rush towards them.

Skull stopped. Lal was choking and fighting, struggling against her own gun strap as Skull kept a foot planted between her shoulder blades. Colonnello was cursing weakly where he was pinned to the ground by steak knives through his hands and three in his gut. Fon was trying to rise, face a bloody mess and one leg so mangled Reborn saw bone. Verde was choking around a collapsed throat. Viper was laying on the floor looking dazed and scared and barely twitching. 

“Reborn?” Skull breathed turning an absolutely beautiful smile on Reborn like a man turning to the sun. 

“Stop,” Reborn demanded, gun aimed straight at his head. 

“But you told Skull-sama he could have your love if he killed them.”

Reborn wasn’t trembling. He wasn’t. But it was close. One minute. It had taken one minute for Skull to put the other Arcobaleno in the ground. And if Reborn didn’t get to Verde within the next few minutes he was dead. 

“Aren’t they your friends?” Reborn attempted.

“Well yes,” Skull blinked at him, slow and confused, “You all belong to Skull-sama. But Reborn is more important.

“Let go of Lal,” Reborn tried instead.

Skull looked at the woman, her struggles already weakened.

“Skull, don’t make me kill you,” Reborn said.

Skull beamed at him.

“Skull-sama wants your love more than life.”

He twisted the strap to garrote her. Reborn’s shot didn’t miss this time. Reborn was on Verde in an instant, sun flames pumping into the man to try and fix his collapsed throat. 

“Colonnello,” Lal coughed, voice raspy and hoarse when Reborn reached for her next. 

Colonnello gave a hollow laugh as the knives were ripped out.

“Is this a dream?” the blond asked, face bleak.

“No,” Viper answered shaking and curled in a ball, “This is reality.”

“Fuck,” Verde managed rubbing at his healed throat. 

“I don’t understand,” Fon just said blankly, looking at Skull’s corpse, “How did he…”

Reborn snapped his leg back into place, tucked the bone under his skin and aligned it before pouring sun flames into the wound. Then he turned to Skull. The man looked young laid out like that, bullet wound a neat circle in the front and smile still stretched across his face. Reborn dragged a hand through his hair, he fedora off to the side, and tried to comprehend everything that had just happened.

“You did the right thing,” Lal coughed as they all looked at Skull’s corpse, “He nearly killed us.”

“He did,” Reborn said, trying to comprehend that fact as well, “How much was Skull hiding that he managed that?”

“Skull-sama was hiding a lot.”

No one screamed but it was a close thing as weapons all spun to aim at the corpse that was sitting up. Skull smiled at them, eyes still hazy and the back of his head missing. He reached up and felt at the back of his head, fingers prodding at blood and bone and brain matter.

“Did Skull-sama do good?” he asked Reborn, beaming like he wasn’t missing half his fucking head.

Reborn opened his mouth, closed it.

“How?” Viper managed, sounding choked, “How are you alive?”

“Skull-sama told you he was immortal,” Skull tilted his head, confused, “Death refuses him.”

“How much were you hiding?” Reborn asked instead, gun levelled at the man they were all suddenly aware was a stranger.

“All my strength,” Skull beamed, “People like Skull-sama better when they don’t know he can kill them all. So Skull-sama does not show that he could crush this world so very easily.”

“Are you human?” Verde asked, “Or are you like Checker-face?”

“Skull-sama is not like that thing,” Skull sniffed, “Skull-sama is Skull-sama. I am truthful with my name.”

“Skull De Mort,” Viper hissed, “You cannot be telling us you are Death.”

“Skull-sama told you, Death refuses him,” Skull blinked, “He has no power over me because it is I who has power over him.”

They stared at him, not sure anything about this whole encounter was real.

“Prove it,” Reborn demanded, “Prove you are something other than human and not just a fucked-up psychopath that has been playing with us.”

“Prove it?” Skull blinked.

“No-” a few others tried to deny.

“For you, anything,” Skull smiled.

The world fell away as Skull unfolded like an origami crane being stretched out. Skull stretched and wavered and unfolded and somewhere the distance the stars wheeled around him. The last thing Reborn was aware of was screaming, _screaming, **screaming.**_.

.--.

Reborn came back to consciousness lying on a hard wood floor, his head in someone’s lap and someone’s hands in his hair.

“Do you feel better?” Skull leaned over him, cooing.

The dazed look was gone, the drugs flushed, but his gaze was still a haze of adoration. 

Reborn rolled over and threw up. He heaved until his stomach was empty. He was shaking so hard he could barely see straight.

“I forget how terrible Humans react to the abyss,” Skull sighed softly, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Reborn’s head pounded; he felt too big, felt too loose, like he didn’t fit in his skin. 

“You’re…you’re…” Reborn faltered because he didn’t have words for what he had just seen. 

His mind could not comprehend it.

“I am,” Skull said simply. 

Reborn cast his eyes around. Everyone else was laying around looking dead. Maybe they were dead. Reborn tried to stand, tried to move, and failed. Skull cooed soft and low and stroked his hair again, pulling Reborn onto his lap.

“You’re beautiful,” Skull told him, “And so strong. My hitman. My Death Bringer. You gazed at me in all my entirety and you were the first to accept it, the first to shy away but the first to return to me. I will love you for eternity, until this world is dust.”

Reborn trembled so hard his teeth chattered as Skull curled over him.

“I love you,” Skull whispered into his ear.

Reborn started to cry.

.--.

“Are you okay?” Tsuna asked, concerned and frightened.

Reborn looked at him, gaze flat and empty. He had visible bags under his eyes, something Tsuna had never seen. He was also far to pale, far to slouched.

“I’m…” Reborn started and failed.

Tsuna stared at him, concern ratcheting up into terror for his tutor. Even Hayato beside him looked freaked out, Takeshi’s smile long gone.

“I’ve come to break my contract to the Vongola,” Reborn finally managed, “We kept extending it, but it has a leave clause in it.”

“Reborn,” Tsuna started.

“It interferes with another responsibility I have now,” Reborn said blankly.

“You signed a contract that pits you against us?” Hayato demanded, even through his sheer uneasiness he couldn’t let a threat slide.

“No,” Reborn said, “I just can’t be contracted to any other.”

“Reborn, are you okay?” Tsuna tried again, “You don’t look well. Are you being threatened?”

“Reborn is fine,” Skull said sliding into the room with a grin, “Or he will be. He always is. Right Reborn~?”

He draped himself over the hitman, pressing his nose to the man’s cheek and nuzzling. They all tensed, ready for an eruption of violence as Skull touched Reborn freely. It never came. Reborn tilted his head instead to give him a better angle, eyes still blank as Skull slid down to nuzzle at his neck, looking pleased. Tsuna felt his fingers digging into the wood of his desk, hold so harsh it was nearly splintering. Every instinct in him was screaming, all at once and as loud as possible. His hyper intuition said if he opened his mouth he would die, they would all die.

“Reborn agreed to be mine!” Skull cheered, “Agreed to love Skull-sama back! So I have to steal him from you Tsuna. Sorry, I know you love him too; everyone does.”

He gave Tsuna a sheepish grin, hands sliding across Reborn’s chest and Reborn was still allowing it. Colonnello had ducked into the room after Skull but stayed at the door and Tsuna looked up at him, nearly begging for answers with his eyes alone. Colonnello was watching Skull with a blank unmoving gaze though. 

“If that’s what you want, Reborn,” Tsuna choked out.

Reborn gave a listless nod. He reached into his coat and pulled out an official looking letter that he handed over to Tsuna. After they had left Tsuna had to dig his fingers out of the wood of his desk as Hayato opened the letter.

“The Arcobaleno have declared independence,” he said slowly, “And have declared that any who target them will wish they were dead.”

“Okay,” Tsuna breathed.

He took the letter and read it carefully.

“Are they threatening us?” Takeshi laughed, the sound oddly false.

“No,” Tsuna said slowly, “It sounds like they are warning us.”

.--.

“I love you,” Skull told him, hands sliding across his neck, “Forever and ever and ever.”

“And after I die?” Reborn questioned.

“Even then,” Skull beamed, “You will be folded into me and you will never leave my side again.”

Verde watched them carefully and there might have been an apology in his eyes under the caution. There was always one Arcobaleno keeping an eye on Skull and him even if it did not good. Reborn didn’t bother to acknowledge his stare or the apology. That damn drug hadn’t started it, it had just opened their eyes. Reborn couldn’t remember what he had seen in the abyss, what he had seen when he looked at Skull in his entirety, but he could remember the overwhelming endless everything. They had never had a chance to escape anything; they had always been trapped. Reborn most of all.

“I love you,” Skull repeated with a human mouth.

Something tugged at Reborn’s soul, curled in his chest around his heart and grasped it with merciless hands.

“You’re mine forever,” Skull kissed him with a human mouth even as something devoured him whole.

.--.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short one-shot where my mind wandered.
> 
> Just started getting into the Katekyou Hitman Reborn! series and I love the Arcobaleno. And damn if Skull isn't the perfect thing to make into an eldritch horror.


End file.
